Section 01
The Entrust Effect: Canada’s Unique Exposure
No analysis of Canada’s BIMI market makes sense without starting here. Entrust Corporation — the Ottawa-founded CA that co-created the BIMI certificate standard alongside DigiCert — held 207 of Canada’s 669 BIMI certificates. That is a 30.9% concentration, significantly higher than the global average of 21.9%.
Canadian organizations trusted Entrust not just because it was technically capable, but because it was a homegrown institution with deep roots in the Canadian financial and government sectors. That trust made sense at the time. It created a specific exposure problem when Entrust discontinued its CA business following the November 2024 decision by major browsers, including Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, to publicly distrust Entrust as a Certificate Authority — effectively ending its ability to issue new publicly-trusted certificates including BIMI VMC and CMC certificates.
207 Canadian BIMI certificates require migration — the highest Entrust concentration among top-10 countries
Every one of these certificates will need to be reissued through an active CA on expiry. At an average certificate life of 13 months, the migration wave for Canadian organizations runs through 2026 and into 2027.
DigiCert already holds 62.2% of Canadian certificates and will absorb the majority of Entrust migrations. GlobalSign and Sectigo are both growing in the Canadian market. The question is whether Canadian organizations actively manage this migration or wait until expiry forces the issue.
Section 02
The Big Five and Canada’s Banking Adoption Story
Canada’s financial sector tells a different story than the country’s overall numbers suggest. Banking/Financial is Canada’s third-largest BIMI sector by certificate count (91 certificates, 13.6%), but Canada’s big banks are among the most sophisticated email security operators in the world. Royal Bank of Canada, TD Bank, Scotiabank, BMO, and CIBC are all likely represented in the certificate base.
The concentration is notable: Canadian banks face a threat environment that mirrors the US but with a smaller, more identifiable corporate landscape — meaning phishing impersonation of Canadian banks is a high-value, targeted attack pattern. BIMI adoption in this sector is not brand marketing. It is brand protection against a real and measurable threat.
Canada ranks #2 globally in Travel/Hospitality BIMI certificates (56 certs, behind only the US at 166). Air Canada is one of the most active BIMI deployments in this dataset. Canada’s global airline presence drives disproportionate Travel sector representation versus other comparable-size markets.
Section 03
Growth Trajectory: Accelerating Into 2026
Canada’s BIMI adoption growth has been steady and consistently above the global average growth rate. From 14 certificates in 2021 to 221 in 2025 — a 15-fold increase over five years. The 2026 YTD figure of 161 certificates in the first half of 2026 (January 1 – July 2) projects to approximately 280 for the full year, which would represent a 27% year-on-year increase.
Section 04
Canada vs Global Benchmark
Canada’s BIMI profile is distinct from its peer markets in three ways: higher-than-average Entrust concentration, stronger Travel/Hospitality representation, and a lower-than-expected Technology/SaaS share (25.4% vs the global 25.8%) despite having a significant tech sector. That gap likely reflects the earlier-stage adoption of Canadian scale-ups versus US enterprise tech companies.
Canada| Sector | Canada certs | Canada % | Global % | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology/SaaS | 170 | 25.4% | 25.8% | −-1.2pp |
| Banking/Financial | 91 | 13.6% | 16.5% | −-3.4pp |
| Travel/Hospitality | 56 | 8.4% | 2.5% | +5.9pp ↑ |
| Retail/Ecommerce | 92 | 13.8% | 15.5% | −-2.2pp |
| Media/Publishing | 21 | 3.1% | 3.2% | +-0.2pp ↑ |
Section 05
Outlook: What the Next 18 Months Looks Like for Canadian Organizations
Three things will define the Canadian BIMI market through the end of 2027.
First, the Entrust migration completion. Canadian organizations holding Entrust-issued certificates will see them expire through 2026 and into early 2027. Those that have already migrated to DigiCert are already represented in the 2025–2026 issuance data. Those that have not yet migrated face a forced decision — plan it now or react when the logo disappears from inboxes.
Second, the banking sector deepening. Canada’s Big Five are sophisticated email operators, but the mid-tier credit unions, regional banks, and insurance companies are earlier in their BIMI journey. That sector’s share will grow.
Third, the Tech/SaaS gap closing. As Canadian scale-ups reach enterprise scale and US-style sender requirements begin influencing Canadian senders, the Technology sector’s share should converge toward the global 25.8% benchmark.
Expert Interpretation
Canada’s BIMI Story Is an Entrust Story
“No other top-10 market has a deeper Entrust footprint than Canada. This is not coincidental — Entrust was an Ottawa-based company with deep roots in the Canadian financial and government sectors. Canadian organisations trusted Entrust because it was a local institution. That relationship created 207 certificates that now need migration. The good news: Canadian organisations that have already migrated are visible in the 2026 DigiCert data as the most organised migration cohort outside the UK.”
The Travel/Hospitality over-representation is Air Canada’s footprint. Air Canada is one of the most active BIMI deployers in the global dataset — multiple sending domains, consistent renewal history. Canada’s 56 Travel certificates against a country of 38 million tells a concentrated story: a handful of major carriers and hotel groups deploying extensively, not broad sector adoption.
Self-Assessment
Three Questions for Canadian Email Teams
Was your BIMI certificate issued by Entrust?
With 30.9% of Canadian certificates from Entrust — the highest of any top-10 market — there is a 1-in-3 chance your certificate is affected. Check now and determine the Not After date. Migration before expiry takes 2–4 weeks and avoids inbox disruption.
Is your organisation in Canadian financial services?
Canada’s Big Six banks and major insurance companies are likely represented in the certificate dataset. If you are a regional credit union, trust company, or insurance provider that has not yet deployed, the brand differentiation window in your segment is still open — but narrowing.
Is your CIPO trademark registration current?
Canadian trademark registrations require renewal every 10 years. Confirm your trademark is active and that the registered form of the logo matches the SVG file used in your BIMI deployment. Misalignment between trademark and certificate is a common silent failure mode.
FAQ
Canada-Specific Questions
Does Canada have specific BIMI or email authentication requirements?
Are there Canadian CAs that issue BIMI certificates?
What should Canadian organizations on Entrust certificates do now?
Are there Canadian regulatory requirements for email authentication?
With Entrust discontinued, is there a Canadian CA alternative?
How do French-language trademark requirements affect Quebec-based senders?
Read next
Related Resources
author = {VMCcerts Research},
title = {Canada BIMI Maturity Study 2026},
institution = {VMCcerts},
year = {2026},
url = {https://vmccerts.com/research/canada-bimi-maturity-study-2026},
note = {Dataset: VMCcerts BIMI Dataset v2026.2. Snapshot: 2026-07-02.}
}
AU – VMCcerts Research
TI – Canada BIMI Maturity Study 2026
PY – 2026
PB – VMCcerts
UR – https://vmccerts.com/research/canada-bimi-maturity-study-2026
ER –